Russia's Luna-25 enters Moon orbit, gears for soft landing

"Some are calling this the second lunar race so it is very important for Russia to resume this program. Luna-25 is not just one mission - it is part of a much broader Russian strategy that stretches 10 years into the future," added Zak, who keeps track of the nation’s space missions. 

The soft landing mission clashes with India's Chandrayaan-3, attempting to touch the south pole around August 23. 

It will be anticipated to see which country is the first to land on the challenging terrain of the Moon's south pole. 

Luna-25 will operate for a year

This small-car-sized lander will function on the south pole for considerably longer, at least a year, to discover evidence of frozen water.

Compared to Russia, India's lander and rover will function for roughly one lunar day — equivalent to 14 Earth days.

In this time frame, Luna-25 will collect data on lunar soil, search for frozen water, and examine the Moon's extremely thin atmosphere with its suite of eight sophisticated science instruments. 

This mission lifted on Soyuz 2.1 rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East on August 10. And soon after this launch, the spacecraft sent back its first views of Earth and the Moon on Sunday, August 12. 

Meanwhile, India's third lunar mission, launched on August 7, will orbit the Moon slightly longer than Luna-25 before landing on August 23. 

Several space organizations, including those of the United States and China, have set the South Pole as a target site because of its pristine landscape, which has remained the same for the past billions of years. Furthermore, the region experiences perpetual darkness, preserving a reserve of frozen water.

Studying the South Pole might help us learn more about the Earth's origin and early years and mine valuable resources and minerals for future space colonies.